Huang Chuchen, Cui Weixiu, Yang Ye, Huang Xinlin, Li Chengbo, Lin Ziyue
School of Journalism and Communication, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Nov 26;12(23):2373. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12232373.
Previous research has indicated that health literacy has a good influence on the mental health among older adults. The current study aims to determine whether health literacy is linked to depressive symptoms in older adults in west China, and tries to detect the mechanisms underlying the linkage between health literacy and depressive symptoms in the Chinese context.
Study data were obtained from a cross-sectional ageing health literacy survey conducted in 2017 in Western China, and 812 urban individuals aged 60 and older were selected.
Health literacy was associated with fewer symptoms of depression; additionally, older adults who reported harmonious family and filial piety, those with greater self-rated health, and those with a higher level of life satisfaction tended to have fewer depressive symptoms, whereas older individuals who reported a poor financial status and those with functional impairment had more depressive symptoms.
The findings indicate the protective role of health literacy against depressive symptoms among urban older adults. In addition, the findings also indicate the potential impact of financial strain and functional impairment on the development of depressive symptoms and show that other factors including a harmonious family, filial piety, self-rated health and life satisfaction are generally protective against depressive symptoms. Specific evidence is presented for the national action plans and public health strategies needed to reinforce and promote health literacy in the Chinese context. The current results also suggest that health education and promotion programs designed to strengthen financial assistance, functional improvement, family relationships, life satisfaction and self-rated health should gain a growing importance on the health agenda. Future longitudinal studies, mediation or moderator models, and structural equation modeling would be needed to identify a causal relationship, the moderating or mediating effect, and the possible pathways underlying the linkage between health literacy and depressive symptoms, respectively.
先前的研究表明，健康素养对老年人的心理健康有积极影响。本研究旨在确定健康素养与中国西部老年人的抑郁症状是否存在关联，并试图探究在中国背景下健康素养与抑郁症状之间联系的潜在机制。
研究数据来自于2017年在中国西部进行的一项横断面老年健康素养调查，选取了812名60岁及以上的城市居民。
健康素养与较少的抑郁症状相关；此外，报告家庭关系和谐、有孝道、自评健康状况较好以及生活满意度较高的老年人往往抑郁症状较少，而报告经济状况较差和有功能障碍的老年人抑郁症状较多。
研究结果表明健康素养对城市老年人抑郁症状具有保护作用。此外，研究结果还表明经济压力和功能障碍对抑郁症状的发展具有潜在影响，并表明包括家庭和谐、孝道、自评健康和生活满意度在内的其他因素通常对抑郁症状具有保护作用。为在中国背景下加强和促进健康素养所需的国家行动计划和公共卫生战略提供了具体证据。当前结果还表明，旨在加强经济援助、功能改善、家庭关系、生活满意度和自评健康的健康教育和促进项目在健康议程上应变得越来越重要。未来需要进行纵向研究、中介或调节模型以及结构方程建模，以分别确定因果关系、调节或中介效应以及健康素养与抑郁症状之间联系的潜在途径。
